SHUlTERSTOCK
51 Venus rising over the mountains before sunrise in the Elqui Valley in Chile.
rwater bungalows in Bora Bora, French Polynesia, northwest of Tahiti.
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HONGKONG
1g infrastructure eases travel but �reaten independence ,ritain returned its former colony a in 1997, Hong Kong prided � resisting mainland interferast year saw the opening of a >eed train that takes passengers way to Beijing, and a 34-mile sea linking Hong Kong to the mainr the first time, opening the 1n of whether that independent can survive. For travelers, , boarding a train at the new owloon station bound for Beijing more than 30 other destinations a - is a game changer. The tile trip to Beijing is just nine and the business-class seats are Whether they are headed to ,r not, travelers can indulge in nostalgia at the Mandarin Ori :otel. The 25th-floor M bar offers ts views of the harbor, exotic ls like Sarawak Tea Punch and ies of the 1960s when the hotel as a symbol of luxury and style ever-glamorous city. ERLEZ
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lRAN
Tourism cautiously returns to this Middle East jewel
Though tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated since President Trump took office, the appeal of Iran for adventurous travelers is obvious: the monumental ruins of ancient Persia; the spectacular, cen turies-old mosques of Shiraz and Isfa han; the Grand Bazaar and Golestan Palace in bustling Tehran. One addi tional reason to visit in 2019 is a major exhibition scheduled to open at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, a popular hangout for young Iranians. "Portrait, Still-life, Landscape" (Feb. 21 to April 20) will take over the entire museum, with a selection of about 500 works, including pieces by Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and Marcel Du champ, as well as about 40 Picassos recently discovered in the museum's storage facilities (much of the collection has been kept under wraps since the 1979 revolution). The United States State Department discourages, but does not prohibit, travel to Iran by American citizens, and Americans can travel to Iran only as part of an orga nized tour. Options for 2019 include three expeditions from Intrepid Travel, including the company's first-ever all-female tour. STUART EMMRICH
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HOUSTON
Rebounding bigger and better after a hurricane
After Hurricane Harvey, the city is back on its feet and showing off the every thing-is-bigger-in-Texas attitude. Four food halls opened in 2018, including Finn Hall, which features up-and-com ing chefs like the James Beard-nomi nated Jianyun Ye and a downtown outpost of his Chinese hot spot Mala Sichuan and a taqueria from the local favorite Goode Company. The five diamond Post Oak Hotel opened in March 2018 with a two-story Rolls Royce showroom, art by Frank Stella and a 30,000-bottle wine cellar. The Menil Collection, known for its eclectic art ranging from Byzantine antiques to 20th-century Pop Art, underwent a renovation of its main building and opened the 30,000-square-foot Menil Drawing Institute. The city's museum boom continues with an expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to be completed in 2020, a newly built location for the Holocaust Museum, which will move in this spring, and a restoration of the Apollo Mission Cen ter that will open in time for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in July. KELLY DiNARDO
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COLUMBUS, OHIO
Is this the American city of the future?
With a revitalized riverfront and boom ing downtown, Columbus is already one of the nation's fastest-growing cities. Now, it's poised to become the model for the future of innovative urban trans portation, with self-driving shuttles carrying travelers along the Scioto Mile, which recently completed a mas sive revitalization, adding 33 acres of riverfront green space for festivals, water sports and outdoor art. (The newly opened Natio_nal Veterans Me morial and Museum also sits on the Scioto Peninsula.) Among the newest dining options are Veritas, which spe cializes in small-plate offerings; Service Bar, run by the young chef Avishar Barua, a veteran of New York's Mission Chinese and WD-50; and in the North Market neighborhood, veggie-forward Little Eater. The ultracool Short North Arts District offers access to the city's notable local businesses like the new fashion store Thread and the original Jeni's ice cream store. But don't skip Italian Village and German Village neighborhoods, where innovators and dreamers have opened destination shops like Stump Plants and Vernacu lar and bars like Cosecha. DANIEL SCHEFFLER
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PLOVDIV, BULGARIA
A city ready for the spotlight With its colorful, cobblestoned historic center, well-preserved Roman ruins and lively art scene, Bulgaria's second largest city is surprisingly overlooked by tourists who favor the quirky, post Soviet charm of the country's capital, Sofia. But as a European cultural capi tal of 2019, this European gem is ready to shine. Organizers have planned more than 500 events throughout the city and its region, including concerts, open-air theater performances and street-food fairs. Tucked into the heart of central Bulgaria and built on seven hills, Plov div features an artistic quarter called Kapana, whose winding streets are lined with galleries and stylish cafes, as well as a beautifully restored Roman amphitheater that hosts summer opera performances under the stars. The city's location at the foot of the Rhodope Mountains - with their stunning views of peaks and deep gorges - makes it an excellent launch point for hiking day trips. ANN MAH